Matthew Whitaker subpoena approved by House Democrats

Whitaker's highly anticipated testimony was in limbo for much of the day Thursday after the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee approved a tentative subpoena to ensure that he appeared and answered questions.

Acting Attorney GeneralMatthew Whitaker's scheduled appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday is still uncertain as the Department of Justice exchanges letters with the panel over whether Whitaker might be subpoenaed. Nadler said the authority was needed in light of "troubling events", including former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' refusal in twohearings in 2017 to answer questions about conversations with Trump.

He criticised the committee for prematurely and unnecessarily authorising a subpoena for him even though he had agreed to appear. "Political theater is not the goal of an oversight hearing, and I will not allow that to be the case", he added.

Democrats are anxious that Whitaker, whose public comments before taking over the Justice Department suggested he was sympathetic to Trump and critical of the Mueller probe, may seek to evade questions he is asked during the proceedings.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker is giving House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler until 6 p.m.to drop a subpoena threat to force him to answer committee questions at a Friday hearing.

Many Democrats have been expressing strong reservations about Whitaker, describing him as a Trump loyalist and noting how critical he has been of Mueller's Russian Federation investigation.

Whitaker has been undertaking significant preparations ahead of the hearing, including conducting briefings with every the Justice Department component and participating in several mock hearings, according to the officials.

If the panel had questions about oversight of Mueller's probe, Republicans also argued, better to question Rosenstein, who had been monitoring it for far longer than Whitaker.

Asked about Whitaker testifying before Congress, President Donald Trump called Whitaker an "outstanding person" and said he would do very well should he testify. They said it was unnecessary because Whitaker was already appearing voluntarily. And Whitaker accused Democrats of resorting to "political theater" in his statement. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Thursday to approve Barr's nomination, sending the pick to the full Senate.

After Whitaker's statement, Collins said Nadler had overplayed his hand. "The majority had enough faith in its witnesses last week not to subpoena them", said Ranking Member Doug Collins, (R-Ga.).

Nadler is seeking answers about "confidential presidential communications no Attorney General could ever be expected to disclose under the circumstances", Whitaker wrote in his letter Thursday.

"To be clear, I hope never to use this subpoena".

Boyd laid out an argument for asserting such executive privilege in the letter, saying that administration officials from both parties have declined to answer questions about conversations they have had with the president.

"The Acting Attorney General will testify that at no time did the White House ask for, or did the Acting Attorney General provide, any promises or commitments concerning the Special Counsel's investigation", Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd writes in the new letter obtained by CNN.

How Manchester United could line up against Fulham
Rashford has scored six goals since the former Manchester United striker became their new manager nearly two months ago. United's renaissance has sparked hopes of a memorable end to what had been turbulent season. 2/08/2019

Thai Political Party Upsets Norms With Princess Nomination
Soon after Friday's announcement, her catchphrase #SongPhraSlender (Long Live Slender) was number one on Twitter in Thailand. He said: "I am not aiming to extend my power but I am doing this for the benefit for the country and the people". 2/08/2019

New Zealand vs India - 2nd T20 International Preview & Prediction
Kuldeep Yadav could be brought in and all-rounder Kedar Jadhav could be given a chance in place of Krunal Pandya or Vijay Shankar. He could not do much in Wellington, getting four off 9 balls before spinner Mitchell Santner bowled him with a fast yorker. 2/08/2019

Durant, Curry drafted first, second in All-Star draft
Antetokounmpo revealed he promised Milwaukee Bucks teammate Khris Middleton that he would be picked first amongst reserves . James pulled a fast one on fans, pretending to select Nowitzki before eventually going with his longtime friend. 2/08/2019

Darren Weir cops four-year ban from horse racing
Weir trained a Commonwealth record number of winners last season from a stable that had been described as an industry juggernaut. Asked if a financial penalty would be considered, Gleeson said the "imposition of a disqualification was more appropriate". 2/08/2019

76ers give up on Markelle Fultz with trade to Magic
Even if Fultz never fully delivers on his upside, it's really not much to surrender for a chance to find out. The Sixers get Jonathan Simmons who's an excellent perimeter defender, but isn't a great 3-point shooter. 2/08/2019

Maya Moore announces her plan to sit out 2019 season
Moore, a 6-foot forward who played at CT , averaged 18 points per game last season, just below her career average of 18.4. The Lynx should still have enough to be competitive with Fowles leading the way. 2/08/2019

Mickelson one back at Pebble Beach
"I'm not going to chase them as hard as previous year because you can get hurt doing that, you can get into some bad patterns". South Korean Kim Si-woo had the best score at Pebble, a 66, while American Cody Gribble was best at Spyglass, also 66. 2/08/2019

Saudi Arabia ‘deliberately undermined Khashoggi probe’
She said she had " major concerns " about the fairness of proceedings for 11 people facing trial for Mr Khashoggi's murder. She said that Saudi killers had exploited diplomatic immunity to carry out the murder. 2/08/2019